Cambodia Seems Dusty (Poem)

I wrote this poem as a Christmas present to the Suh family, who are Christian Reformed World Mission's full-time missionaries in Cambodia. (Note: Most of the text effects are working okay in this format, though not all. I should probably learn how to edit HTML at some point)

Cambodia Seems Dusty

To you whom God calls here

Does the day start when the roosters crow?

Seems so:

The day awakes before the sun.

The sun is strong,

the rain is strong,

and the heat is strong.

In the villages, the people are friendly—

and weathered.

And everyone comes from the villages,

Where the rice fields lie flat

lollipopped with

coconut trees

and palm trees.

The buildings are bold

bright

blue and red and

orange and green and

traffic median-paint yellow.

The buildings are muted

wood and faded thatch,

rusty metal roofs.

The background is bright

rice-green to shame lawn-care,

tropically flowering-fruiting-and-flourishing

forests and fields,

farms, yards, gardens, and

painted pots.

The background is drab

dust-ridden paved roads,

dust-red dirt roads,

bare-trampled yards,

and construction zones.

The people are rich

See the thousand rooftops

‘round the royal palace?

The people are poor

we see the young ones,

see the old ones on the street.

The past is bleak—years

of power struggles,

land-grabbing,

and terror.

The past is glorious—because…

Who has built such temples?

The future is dark—fears

of corruption and prostitution

ever ensnaring,

stripping the richness of the

land from all people and

twisting it into the

pockets

of a few.

The future is bright—because…

The people are building,

The church is dawning,

And after all,

what is the miracle of man but

bones out of dust,

tendons out of dust,

flesh out of dust,

beating heart full of dust dissolved in rain,

running red only by the hands of

God?

And we know:

God’s hands are still moving,

And Cambodia has a lot of dust.

Development and Disciple-making for Everyone...

I’ve been reading and thinking recently about development. Have you ever read When Helping Hurts? You should. I had heard of it before, but I read it for the first time while I’ve been in Cambodia. I’m working on a review of it, which I’ll post here sometime. The following are just thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head:

I’ve been thinking that what the world mostly needs, after the return of the King and after prayer, is people who are satisfied to do small things in a small place for a long time and with great love (semi-quoting Mother Theresa). And for them to connect to, communicate, and cooperate well with their predecessors, contemporaries, and successors. That is, to recognize and respond to the fact that our life’s work will be only an infinitesimally small piece of Christ’s work through his body – we are mere cells.

I don’t think we need people who do great things – or at least, we don’t need many. Or, perhaps, none exist; everyone’s work is rather small. After all, we each have only 24 hours in a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and “the length of our days is seventy years, or eighty if we have the strength.” (Psalm 90:10) The great names you hear of, you would never have heard of, except that many others worked alongside them. Even those who played great roles in awakening or converting the masses... if they played a role in converting thousands or millions of people, what of the thousands or millions who walked alongside these, discipling them? Jesus never told us to make converts.

Each small person does need to be united, though: to other people who want to serve and to the people we want to serve. In Cambodia, many NGOs just do their own work, reinventing the wheels that other NGOs have already developed. How much better if we could all be connected to one another and build off of one another! Another development message I hear loud and clear, over and over again is that the people we want to help also need to be invested in anything we try to do for them (with them). There was an NGO that came into Ploung Village to install toilets. They didn’t expect the people there to do anything, as though they were helpless. They didn’t ask them what they needed, as though they didn’t know. Now, most of these toilets lie utterly abandoned and unused.

But beyond this, I think that we ourselves need to invest our own lives in a deep way – by living in the places where we minster, and – as much as we can – in the way of the people we minister to. If we don’t stay in a small place for a long time, how can we minister to those who live there, and disciple them, teaching them how to live like Jesus? How can you teach someone to do something that you have never done? How can you ask something of your disciples that you are not willing to do yourself? From my perspective now, changing the world is about changing people, and changing people is about being changed yourself and entering into their lives – fully. How can you say that you love someone with the love of Jesus if you are not willing to incarnate?

More and more, I am convinced that we need to lay down our lives and share in the sufferings of those we want to reach, and remain. The changing world needs small people who are constant and overflowing with the love of Christ. The other influences of people’s lives – the ones are want to fight against – are not just coming for a short-term mission trip.

Not to say there isn’t some value in, for instance, my months here in Cambodia. But the value lies in my own learning, and hopefully also in how much I build up the people and organizations that will be here long-term. And there is some good in mixing it up and meeting brothers and sisters from different places. But I don’t think that ought to be a lifestyle for too many people.

Finally, development and disciple-making isn’t limited to the developing world or the inner city. Those of you who live in places where “bad things don’t happen” know that God has much work to do in your community as well. When I hear stories about people who prayed, “God, please don’t make me a missionary – and especially, don’t send me to Africa,” and went on to be missionaries in Africa, I sometimes wonder if I won’t end up back in Suburbia myself!

You can read the figures

You can read the news

People aren’t numbers

It’s your attitude (that’s flat)

How can we know if we don’t come?

How can we know if we don’t stay?

Incarnation grips me

and takes me to the city

Incarnation grips me

and leads me far away

I want to breathe the air

I want to eat the fare

I want to walk the dirt

With feet like yours.

I want to learn your words

I want to know your name

What if I feel the pain

Of feet like yours?

And incarnation grips me—

When I see Him:

Swaddled up in skin,

Rode a skeleton…

With a heart of meat,

He was made of dust –

Like the rest of us.

Last Speech to GCT

Before I left GCT in October, I had the chance to give a sort of speech. Really, I spoke to myself as much as to them. So I think some of you might like to read this, as well. The “||” marks show where I stopped for the translator to speak. Since this was written with translation in mind, I think it would actually lose some meaning or structure if I removed them, so I’ll leave them in – apologies to those for whom they are distracting.

1 Cor 1:22-31 (NIV):

²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Different people have different expectations about what God is like || and about what the people who God chooses to follow him will be like.

In this passage, the apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth.|| Some are rich, many are poor, || most are Greeks, and a few are Jews. || The Greek people value human wisdom and education || so they believe that God would act according to their wisdom, || and they think God would choose people who are very clever. || The Jewish people believe that the Messiah, the Savior whom God will send, will perform miraculous signs. || They think that the Messiah will become king of the world by his miraculous power.

Americans and Cambodians also have expectations about what following God would be like. || Many Americans want to live an easy life. || They want to be able to do anything they want – they say they want to be free. || They think that God should make their lives easier, || and should give them what they want. || I have only been here three months, || but I think that many Cambodians want to have power over other people, || and want to make more money so they can have more power. || So, they think Christians should be successful, || and that Christian leaders should also have power over people.

But the gospel that the Bible teaches|| is that when the people God made sinned, || God did not use his power to destroy them or force them to change, || and he also did not let them keep doing whatever they wanted. || Instead, Jesus gave up the comfort and power and freedom of being God || and became a human being. || And instead of being born in a comfortable place or a powerful family, || he was born in a stable || to a poor family from a poor town. || And instead of using his power as God to become king of the world at that time, || he became a servant to all people, || and willingly suffered and died. || And his death was very embarrassing and terrible. || It was not an honorable death that a hero or king or rich person would die. || It was the type of death for a poor person who is a criminal. || And this is the type of life he calls his followers to. || It is not wise, it is not a miraculous victory, || it is not comfortable, and it is not powerful… as people see it. || It seems very foolish.

Verses 22-23:

²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

If Paul was writing to Americans and Cambodians, I think this is what he might say, || “Americans look for a selfish life of ease || and Cambodians look for wealth and power, || but we preach Christ crucified, || who asks Americans to take up their cross || and Cambodians to become leaders who serve their followers. || This is foolishness to people who do not know God; || it is the opposite of what they think they want.”

But as Christians, we know that it is not foolish at all. || Because Jesus suffered and died, we can have eternal life. || And because he became a servant to all people, || God raised him to life, || God has rewarded him with glory, || and God has made him King over all people.

Verses 24-25:

²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

So, if Jesus chose to suffer and serve, || what should we look like, || since we are the people that Jesus has chosen to follow him?

Verse 26:

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.

What does Paul say the Christians in Corinth are like? || What type of people are like that in Cambodia? || It is amazing that God chooses people like this.

Verses 27-31:

²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Why does it say God chooses people like this?

So I want to encourage you:

Firstly, I want to encourage you || that when you serve other people, through working at GCT and other places, || it seems you are not becoming wealthy or powerful, || and your friends or family members may ask you why you do not find a job that will make you more wealthy or powerful, || But you are following the example of Jesus, || and God sees the work that you do, || and just as he rewarded Jesus, he will reward you. || Maybe not on earth, but in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Secondly, I want to encourage you || if you feel you do not have enough power to do your work. || Many Cambodian people I have met feel they do not know English well enough, || think they need a better education, || or many other things. || Maybe you wonder why God has chosen you to do His work. || But you should not be discouraged. || Because you do not need to have power or knowledge or money by human standards || for God to use you in amazing ways. || God loves to use people who seem foolish, weak, or lowly, || because when He gives them the wisdom and power to do great things, || everyone will know it is because of God. || And if God calls you to do something, || He will give you the power you need to do it.

James 1:9-10:

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their low position—since they will pass away like a wild flower.

I think people sometimes get confused || they think that Christians from the US or Canada or Korea || who have more money or more education or better connections || are more important in God’s kingdom, or can do more work for God than Christians from Cambodia, || But actually, it says in the Bible || that the Christian in humble circumstances has a high position in God’s kingdom that they should be proud of, || and the one who is rich has a low position in God’s kingdom.

So I encourage you to take pride in your high position, || and in the glory you bring to God || as God works through you. || I am so thankful to have worked with all of you for three months, || and I have seen that God is working through you || and that you are bringing Glory to God. || I praise God because of you. || Let him who boasts boast in the Lord!